BIWABIK – The Ely boys dominated the Section 7 Nordic ski competition this past Thursday at Giants Ridge, finishing all four team members in the top ten to advance to the state tournament.

Timberwolves standout Jasper Johnston took first in the classic race and finished in third place overall, while teammates James Schwinghamer, Kjetil Midttun, and Gabriel Pointer finished sixth, eighth, and tenth respectively. Raif Olson finished in the 11th spot.

“Jasper skied a couple of great races,” said Ely Head Coach Paula Anderson. “The soft and cold conditions in the first race didn’t work quite in his favor.”

As a team, the Ely boys outpaced their next-closest rival, Duluth Marshall, by 13 points and were set to compete in the state competion, beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, after the Timberjay’s Wednesday deadline. The Timberjay will post an update on the state competition at timberjay.com.

The girls, meanwhile, missed their own trip to state by just four points, but will send Zoe Devine and Kalyssa Eilrich as individuals. “Zoe is a strong and natural athlete and I expected her to qualify,” said Anderson. “Kalyssa worked very hard all year to make it.”

Devine finished fifth overall while Eilrich finished sixth in the freestyle competition and 12th overall.

“Sections went well in spite of some brutal conditions in the morning,” said Anderson. “I’ve never seen conditions that difficult. Skiers were quite spent after the first race and this affected the girls in the second race I think.”

Both teams competed in a 5.2-kilometer freestyle race and a classic distance of 5.3 kilometers. Team scores were determined by the top four finishers of each squad.

The Ely boys and girls squads will each have their cores coming back next year so the future looks bright for the teams.

ELY VARSITY BOY INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS

3. Jasper Johnston 19:01 16:09.8

6. James Schwinghamer 20:28 17:15.3

8. Kjetil Midttun 20:47 17:09.8

10. Gabriel Pointer 20:46 17:54.9

11. Raif Olson 20:55 17:49.1

24. Nate Netiffee 23:16 17:49.4

33. Ethan Bremner 23:28 18:48.4

ELY VARSITY GIRL INDIVIUAL FINISHERS

5. Zoe Devine 23:22 21:00.8

12. Kalyssa Eilrich 23:53 23:00.4

19. Phoebe Helms 25:57 22:35.5

20. Brooke Pasmick 26:33 22:17.6

36. Ana Bercher 28:19 22:49.8

37. Cora Olson 27:24 23:47.8

38. Julia Schwinghamer 27:57 23:38.8

SECTION 7 BOYS TEAM RESULTS

1. Ely 377

2. Marshall School 364

3. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 360

4. Grand Rapids 359

5. Duluth East 323

6. Mesabi East 319

7. Duluth Denfield 269

8. Proctor/Hermantown 224

SECTION 7 GIRLS TEAM RESULTS

1. Duluth East 381

2. Grand Rapids 352

3. Ely 348

4. Marshall School 332

5. Mesabi East 330

6. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 273

7. Duluth Denfeld 273

8. Proctor/Hermantown 267

9. Two Harbors/Cook County 204

10. Hibbing 198